Champs-Élysées Film Festival Announces Awards for its 4th Edition

Champs-Élysées Film Festival Announces Awards for its 4th Edition

CEFF
takes place in the heart of
Paris in June. The first ever connection in Paris between French
cinema and American cinema takes place during a glorious week of
screenings and special
events dedicated entirely to the public.

The opportunity
to bring together a host of filmmakers, producers, distributors,
journalists, academics, partners,
around a big party every night at the top of Publicis where “Le
Drugstore” made such a big splash during the 70s is also an event which
reinvigorates what
has become a touristic and consumer oriented Champs Elysees.
Distinguished guests, film teams, young directors add up to a
celebration of that most popular
of all culture today, the movies.

The fourth edition of the Champs-Elysées Film Festival was presided by the actress Émilie Dequenne and actor Jeremy Irons, and it had more than 22, 000 attendees,
accompanied all week by bright sunshine.

3 Audience Prizes were given during the closing ceremony which took place on Tuesday night at the Publicis Cinema.

• The Audience Prize for an Independent American Feature Lenght Film, given by Jeremy Irons, was awarded to the film “The Road Within” by Gren Wells, the
story of a young man with Tourette’s Syndrome who embarks on a road trip. Its international
sales agent is Annapurna and its U.S. distributor is WellGo.

• The Audience Prize for a French Short Film given by Émilie Dequenne and Céline
Nallet, Gerenal Director of HD1 channel, was awarded to “J’aurais pas dû mettre mes Clarks” by Marie Caldera. The film will be screened on HD1.

• The
Audience Prize for an American Short Film given by actress Zoë Felix and Éric Legendre from Variety was awarded to “Scheherazade” by Mehrnoush Aliaghaei.

The
Student Jury Prize, given by Adrien Fallu, the marketing and communication director of TCM , the object of which is to present classics of the cinema to
young adults, was given to “Shoot the Moon,” by Alan Parker, presented in the section “TCM Cinéma Essentials.”

The Festival was created by the Producer,
Distributor and Exhibitor Sophie Dulac. More than 100 films were screened during the festival showcasing the diversity of French and American cinema in six
cinemas on the most prestigious avenue in the world: The Balzac, the Gaumont Champs-Élysées, the Lincoln, the Publicis cinema, UGC George V and MK2 Grand
Palais.

Prestigious Guests This Year at the Festival:

• William Friedkin met with the public for an amazing Q&A at the end of the screening of the
restored director’s cut version of “Sorcerer.”

• Alan Parker, who confirmed his decision not to shoot anymore, gave a remarkable masterclass on the cult
movies that have made him famous from “Fame” to “Bugsy Malone” and “Midgnight Express.”

• Josh and Benny Safdie, emblematic directors of today’s New York
cinema, introduced their shorts and feature movies, and premiered their new film “Heaven Knows What.”

• Euzhan Palcy, director of “Sugar Cane Alley” and “A Dry
White Season” gave a brilliant masterclass, sharing how she became the voice of Black People at a time when nobody wanted to hear.

• Vilmos Zsigmond,
Oscar-winning director of photography who has worked with the greatest directors from Spielberg and Cimino to Brian de Palma, introduced the restored
version of “The Rose” by Mark Rydell,

• Jeremy Irons, passionate cinephile who was present the screenings all week and who also gave
a masterclass.

Professional Program in Constant Progression

• More than 50 distributors, producers, and international sales agents came from all over the
world to discover six independent American films, works in progress, of which “Diverge” by James Morrisson, was awarded great help with several post-production
services necessary to complete the film.

• The growing success of the second edition of the Paris Coproduction Village, organized in collaboration with Les
Arcs European Film Festival took place from 10th to 12th June with a Brazilian focus and delighted the professionals who came from many different
countries.

During the festival, numerous American directors in competition came from the U.S. to debate with audiences after the screenings: Hannah Fidell for “6
years,” Onur Tukel for “Applesauce,” Matthew Heineman for “Cartel Land,” Andrew Renzi for “Franny,” Sebastian Silva for “Nasty Baby,” Gren Wells and his producer
Brent Emmery for “The Road Within,” Rachel Wolther producer of “Stinking Heaven” and Jenner Furst, producer of “Welcome to Leith,” that’s without mentioning all the French
and American shorts films, premieres, etc…

All the best moments, interviews with distinguished guests, directors, jurors, and red carpets are available thanks to
the Festival Web TV on:

Podcasts

Zhao said with her Bass Reeves biopic, she’ll direct a more traditional cast like she did with her first-timers: “You can work with an actor in a certain way, you can create an environment like Terrence Malick has always done.”